7Z4L

SpCas9 bound to 18-nucleotide complementary DNA substrate in the checkpoint state


Experimental Data Snapshot

  • Method: ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
  • Resolution: 2.54 Å
  • Aggregation State: PARTICLE 
  • Reconstruction Method: SINGLE PARTICLE 

wwPDB Validation   3D Report Full Report


This is version 1.3 of the entry. See complete history


Literature

R-loop formation and conformational activation mechanisms of Cas9.

Pacesa, M.Loeff, L.Querques, I.Muckenfuss, L.M.Sawicka, M.Jinek, M.

(2022) Nature 609: 191-196

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05114-0
  • Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
    7Z4C, 7Z4D, 7Z4E, 7Z4G, 7Z4H, 7Z4I, 7Z4J, 7Z4K, 7Z4L

  • PubMed Abstract: 

    Cas9 is a CRISPR-associated endonuclease capable of RNA-guided, site-specific DNA cleavage 1-3 . The programmable activity of Cas9 has been widely utilized for genome editing applications 4-6 , yet its precise mechanisms of target DNA binding and off-target discrimination remain incompletely understood. Here we report a series of cryo-electron microscopy structures of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 capturing the directional process of target DNA hybridization. In the early phase of R-loop formation, the Cas9 REC2 and REC3 domains form a positively charged cleft that accommodates the distal end of the target DNA duplex. Guide-target hybridization past the seed region induces rearrangements of the REC2 and REC3 domains and relocation of the HNH nuclease domain to assume a catalytically incompetent checkpoint conformation. Completion of the guide-target heteroduplex triggers conformational activation of the HNH nuclease domain, enabled by distortion of the guide-target heteroduplex, and complementary REC2 and REC3 domain rearrangements. Together, these results establish a structural framework for target DNA-dependent activation of Cas9 that sheds light on its conformational checkpoint mechanism and may facilitate the development of novel Cas9 variants and guide RNA designs with enhanced specificity and activity.


  • Organizational Affiliation

    Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.


Macromolecules

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Entity ID: 2
MoleculeChains Sequence LengthOrganismDetailsImage
CRISPR-associated endonuclease Cas9/Csn11,368Streptococcus pyogenesMutation(s): 0 
Gene Names: cas9csn1SPy_1046
EC: 3.1
UniProt
Find proteins for Q99ZW2 (Streptococcus pyogenes serotype M1)
Explore Q99ZW2 
Go to UniProtKB:  Q99ZW2
Entity Groups  
Sequence Clusters30% Identity50% Identity70% Identity90% Identity95% Identity100% Identity
UniProt GroupQ99ZW2
Sequence Annotations
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  • Reference Sequence
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Entity ID: 1
MoleculeChains LengthOrganismImage
sgRNA102synthetic construct
Sequence Annotations
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  • Reference Sequence
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Entity ID: 3
MoleculeChains LengthOrganismImage
Target strand of 18-nucleotide complementary DNA substrate38synthetic construct
Sequence Annotations
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  • Reference Sequence
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Entity ID: 4
MoleculeChains LengthOrganismImage
Non-target strand of 18-nucleotide complementary DNA substrate38synthetic construct
Sequence Annotations
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  • Reference Sequence
Experimental Data & Validation

Experimental Data

  • Method: ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
  • Resolution: 2.54 Å
  • Aggregation State: PARTICLE 
  • Reconstruction Method: SINGLE PARTICLE 

Structure Validation

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Entry History & Funding Information

Deposition Data


Funding OrganizationLocationGrant Number
Swiss National Science FoundationSwitzerland31003A_182567

Revision History  (Full details and data files)

  • Version 1.0: 2022-08-31
    Type: Initial release
  • Version 1.1: 2022-09-07
    Changes: Database references
  • Version 1.2: 2022-09-14
    Changes: Database references
  • Version 1.3: 2024-07-17
    Changes: Data collection